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Spiritist
Science –
philosophical
reflections |
The Religion –
miracles,
prophecies,
prodigies and
irrational
dogmas.
During the
condemnation of
Galileo he was
obliged
to take refuge
in his own home
and forego the
scientific
principles
he
revealed.
The
Church at that
time
was giving
a message that
could not stand
the
corruption of
the
Aristotelian
grounds
that she
had adopted.
The system
of the world
created by God
corresponded
to that which
Aristotle
and Ptolemy
had
deciphered:
"God as a
supreme and
omnipotent
being,
created
the world
and set
it
in motion,
and since then,
everything works
to perfection
and
harmony,
with or
without his
presence.
"God
set
order to
the universe
and nothing can
change it . “The
stars, fixed
and immobile
in the vaults
of the sky
are formed
of a divine
substance
different
from that in the
sublunary world.
“Earth
occupies the
centre of the
universe
and the Sun,
which goes
from
one
extreme to
another
on the horizon,
serves as a
lamp that
illuminates the
sky.”
Everything
that
is perfect
and escapes
human
understanding
is the work of
God.”
"The circle
is regarded as
the
perfect figure,
submitting
the planets
to a circular
orbit
in their
path
around the Sun”.
“There
is no link
between man and
animal life,
they
are part of
creation
just to
populate the
world.”
“Man
was
known at the
time
of white man,
originated
from a couple
created
in paradise,
from
which they were
expelled
for yielding to
the temptation
of
sex.”
“Condemned to
live
on Earth,
they had to
follow
the commandments
of the Laws of
God, which only
the Church is
competent
to reveal,
to be
able to be
saved or
condemned to
eternal
punishment
according to
their
submission."
As a doctrine
that explains
the beginning
and end
of man,
the
religion
of the time was
a ready,
complete system
which did
not allow
unnecessary
changes.
Its content
was
complete and
sufficient
to comfort
and relieve
our pain,
to teach
tolerance to
our suffering
and alleviate
our pains,
to
justify the
apparent
inconsistency
of
divine justice
and ensure
the salvation of
the submissive
faithful
ones
to
their priests.
Inequalities
also
occur
through work and
the
will of God and
it is
not up to us to
challenge
God in
his designs.
By
being able
to "explain"
the mysteries
of the world and
of life,
religious
beliefs
played
a higher
role
than the
infant science
that Galileo
inaugurated
at the time.
Religion
with this format
provides
security,
consoles
the
suffering,
alleviates
our fears,
makes
exchanges with
our "sins"
and provides
hope for a
future life,
where
can we
get what
Earth has not
privileged us
with.
Science
- the statute
of true
knowledge,
rationality,
indeterminacy,
free thinking
to create
its own truth.
Galileo
created
a
new system
of understanding
the world,
hence the
danger he
posed to the
Church.
He used
mathematical
reasoning
to prove
the theories
of Copernicus,
which moved
the sun
to the center
and put the
Earth
in the
procession
of planets
orbiting it.
In a world
regarded
as normal
and perfect
he discovered
the
irregularities
of the
lunar surface
where he saw
its craters.
In a system
regarded as
immutable
he added
moons
accompanying
planet Jupiter,
which were not
described
by Aristotle.
At the same
time, the
foundations of
the Church
found itself
shaken by
new discoveries
that followed
fast.
For two months
Tycho
Brahe
witnessed
the passage of
a
new star
in the firmament,
that
the Church
assumed
it to be
fixed and
invariable.
Johannes
Kepler
proved
mathematically
that
the orbits of
planets are
ellipses
and not
perfect circles
as it had been
supposed.
René
Descartes
built
a
philosophical
system
that would
separate the
body
from the Soul,
and Andrew
Vessálius
inaugurated the
study of human
anatomy
in a body that
seemed
to behave like
a
machine,
able to
move with
muscles
without the help
of the Spirit.
Isaac
Newton
identified the
"attractive
force" that
holds
the stars
in their orbits,
which moves
the waters
of the oceans,
the
rise and fall of
tides,
and causes the
falling of
bodies.
Gradually the
"intangible
forces"
that
produce
movement and
order of the
universe
were recognized
as "forces
of gravity."
Later,
the
divine
laws
that maintain
the regularity
of
physical
phenomena
were replaced by
mathematical
principles. The
"mysteries"
that sustain
life
were understood
as combustion
of oxygen,
fermentation of
food and
cellular
metabolism.
The
"animal
spirits" that
pass through the
human body
producing
its reflexes
and movements
were
chemically
identified
as
neurotransmitters.
The regularity
of events
was violated
by the
uncertainty
principle.Linear
determinism
of a cause
for every
effect was
shaken by the
randomness
in which the
pattern of
response
determines the
intensity
of the cause.
The paradox:
"science as
religion"
-
dogmas,
rituals,
hierarchy, the
sacred and the
profane
Historically,
religion
is based on the
cultural
tradition
of its followers.
Its contents,
which guide
the behavior
of the faithful,
is written in
sacred texts
that remain
unchanged for
centuries.
The language
used
here
is almost
always symbolic,
allowing
conflicting
interpretations.
Hence the
importance of
the priest
and the
hierarchical
system
that classifies
them. The
material
benefits
are distributed
amongst
these priests
and divine power
that presupposes
them God's
representatives
on
earth.
On the other
hand,
the
construction of
knowledge
produced by
science
is an
achievement
of individual
effort
or
a
group of
researchers.
Their
texts,
though
written in
technical
language,
try to be
as clear as
possible
in order
to be
understood by
those who are
interested in
the texts..
The truth
is searched
thoroughly
by observation
or by
experimentation.
Texts
which are
written or
uttered by
personalities
hierarchically
prominent
have
relative
importance
and
to be accepted,
they will need
to submit
the
evidence
conducted to
independent
researchers.
Scientific
knowledge
is
relatively short.
A
set of
theoretical
propositions
that constitute
a
paradigm are
usually
gathered up, and
from time to
time,
scientists
become involved
in trying to
propose new
and more
appropriate
paradigms.
Science
has not also
ceased to
be
concerned
with dilemmas
that have always
been
under the
dominion
of religion.
Science has,
in its way,
a
proposal for the
origin of the
universe
and life
on Earth.
It is suitable
for
science
to
research the
mechanism that
triggers
the phenomena
as
they happen
rather than
try to explain
why
they happen. It
is concerned
in detail with
the cause of
pain
and very little
about the why
of
human suffering.
The choice
of science is to
clarify,
rather than to
console.
It is
accepted by all
that to
do science
one must adopt
the scientific
method.
Classically,
the research
must be
framed
in the liturgy
of the method.
Deduction or
induction,
observation or
experimentation
is used.
The phenomena
under study
provide
the elements
that,
applied to
mathematical
reasoning,
provide
the value of
true
discovery.
Some
scientific
propositions
are already
established and
so
accepted that
they
should have an
eternal duration
of the
sacred truths
of religions
-
gravity exists
as a force of
attraction
in the entire
universe
-
energy has
inviolable value,
it
becomes,
but
is neither
created nor
gets lost -
heat
tends
to disperse,
as well as
all the energy
of the universe
where the trend
is chaos
- light is
an
electromagnetic
phenomenon
- visible
matter
in every
universe
is
the same kind
of matter
on earth -
the molecules
of all
substances
are in constant
motion
- the variety
of species
is
due to
evolution by
natural
selection.
The
Spiritist
Science
-
Theoretical,
experimental
control,
spiritual
philosophy and
moral content.
The text
of the
Spiritist
Doctrine
began with
the revelations
transmitted by
disembodied
(discarnate)
spirits
of a higher
nature,
with the
proposal to
clarify and
guide
humanity.
Spiritist
Doctrine’s
subjects of
study include
the spiritual
world,
the beings that
inhabit it,
its relations
with the
material world
and the
consequences
of this
relationship.
To
Spiritism,
the grandeur
of the Universe
and the laws
that
govern it are
enough evidence
to
prove the
existence
of God. God is
the
creator of all
that
exists and
his creation
is
endless.
In the
evolutionary
situation
in which
humanity finds
itself,
we yet are
unable to
understand the
origin
of the universe
and life
on Earth. What
is
certain is that
God always
created
and will always
continue
creating.There
are
two
key elements
in the universe,
the spiritual
and
material.
The
spiritual
element
begins as
"intelligent
principle”.
This "spiritual
spark"
moves
from the
spiritual world
to
the material
world,
occupying
bodies
that allow you
to
evolve
on the scale
of intelligent
life
on Earth.
The Universe is
filled by
a
"fluid"
subtle nature
with
properties
that still
escape our
understanding.
All
known matter
originates from
it.
The properties
of
substances
exist only
due to this
fluid, and
through its
performance
these properties
may suffer
the most diverse
changes.
The acidity
or alkalinity
is given by the
presence of this
fluid and,
by its
performance;
a
glass of water
can cure
or cause
harm.
There is
a
divine purpose
in creation.
We are
all destined
to walk the
extensive
string of
the existences,
on Earth or
on other worlds,
seeking
the status of
angelic
spirits
which we will
eventually
attain.
God
works through
Laws
that human
intelligence
will
gradually
go on
discovering.
We
are all "submerged
in God’s
thought" and
nothing that
occurs
in the universe
escapes
his consent.
We are free to
act and
forced to bear
the consequences
of
our actions.
Each
one
is responsible
for their
own destiny.
Moral laws
are perceived
by the
conscience of us
all, and
as
humanity
goes
forward
in its evolution,
humans
will become
increasingly
aware of the
application of
these
laws.
The
spiritual world
is permanently
in close contact
with the
material world.
One and the
other
process
fluidic
exchanges
among themselves
and each exert
influence
over the other.
This
mutual
interference
is so intense
that one cannot
remain without
its
acquaintanceship.
A crowd of
disembodied
(discarnate)
spirits
moves
with complicity
in all
environments
of Earth.
They
accompany us
and we
attract
them
sharing with
them
our intimacy.
The
thoughts that
we
often have
as
ours, are
many times
their
thoughts.
It is
established
within the
Divine
that we
attract to
our company
those
whom are
tuned with
our purposes.
Good
attracts the
good spirits
and evil
coexists
with ignorance.
As it deals with
the spirit world
and
the spirits
that live there,
we have no
control
over
spiritual
communication
and methods
of human science
and its system
of
control
and
experimentation
do not apply
to
the
science of
Spirit.
However,
some men have
in their
constitution
a
special
provision
that allows them
to
get in lucid
contact
with
disembodied
(discarnate)
spirits.This
is the
phenomenon of
mediumship,
which
is recorded
in all people
and
all ages
of mankind.
Mediumship
is the large
field of
experimentation
in which
the spiritist
doctrine
relies
for revelation
and confirmation
of its
postulates.
The
future
expectative
is that
over the
centuries, all
men may
be aware of
their
exchange with
the spirit world.
Mediumistic
phenomena
explain
a
series of events
often regarded
as supernatural
or
produced by
an
unknown energy.
The transmission
of thought,
visions of the
future,
distance,
premonitions,
xenoglossy,
psychometry,
psychography,
and
psychophony
are
examples
already
well
studied and
understood
by Spiritism.
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